Tacos de canasta, or basket tacos, are one of Mexico City's great morning rituals. They are soft rather than crisp, sold from a cloth-lined basket strapped to a bicycle, and often gone by noon.
How they are made
Corn tortillas are filled with a simple, inexpensive stewed filling, folded, and lightly dipped in warm seasoned oil or chile-infused fat. They are then stacked tightly in a basket lined with cloth and plastic. The residual heat steams them for hours, so by the time they are sold the tortilla and filling have fused into something soft, oily and deeply comforting.
They are also called tacos sudados, or sweated tacos, for exactly that reason.
The classic fillings
- Papa: mashed or diced potato, often with a little chorizo.
- Frijoles: refried beans, sometimes with epazote.
- Chicharrón prensado: pressed pork skin stewed in salsa verde or roja.
- Adobo: pork or chicken in a mild red chile sauce.
Why people love them
They are cheap, filling, portable and eaten fast. They are also the opposite of the crunchy, photogenic tacos that dominate social media, which is part of their charm. The texture is soft on soft, seasoned by time rather than fire.
How to eat them
Top with pickled jalapeños and carrots, which almost every vendor keeps in a jar, and a spoonful of salsa verde. Eat two or three, standing, with a cup of coffee or atole. Do not save them for later; they are best within a couple of hours of the basket being packed.
Making them at home
Warm your tortillas, fill with refried beans or seasoned potato, fold, brush lightly with chile-infused oil, and stack in a cloth-lined pot with a lid for thirty minutes. The steam does the rest.
Where to find them
Look for a bicycle with a large covered basket near office districts, markets and metro stops in the morning. In the United States, they turn up at weekend markets and at taquerías run by Mexico City families.
